Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Ethnographic Interviewing To Learn About Your Faculty, Carolyn Mills, Sharon Giovenale

ACRL New England Chapter Annual Conference

We were part of a nineteen institution ethnographic study on the research practices and support needs of agriculture faculty, under the auspices of Ithaka S+R in 2016. We will use our work to illustrate how ethnographic interviewing works. We will discuss:

• Training and preparation
• The process of recruiting and interviewing, and interview transcription.
• Coding & analysis of results, mapping findings from the interview transcriptions
• Our findings and conclusions which, though drawn from agriculture, are potentially applicable to a broader range of science researchers

Our message to attendees is that anyone can do this research with the right preparation and support. …

Academic Librarians Working With Their Lgbtq Patrons: An Exploratory Survey, Martin Morris, John Siegel

ACRL New England Chapter Annual Conference

Introduction
There is now a small but growing body of evidence to demonstrate that LGBTQ library patrons often have specific and distinct information needs and information-seeking behaviours (Beiringer and Jackson, 2007; Schaller, 2011; Morris and Roberto, 2016). Many academic libraries are recognizing these specific needs and making increasing efforts to meet them, informed by new diversity statements and plans. However, these efforts are far from universal.

Given the increased attention and awareness of LGBTQ issues, librarians must be equipped to assist researchers and consumers with LGBTQ-themed inquiries. A number of studies have been conducted with physicians, mental health counsellors, and …

Who Mentored Whom?: A Conversation About Leadership, Sam Boss, Celia Rabinowitz

ACRL New England Chapter Annual Conference

Library leaders are grappling with changes in the role of libraries on our campuses, the identities and work of our library faculty and staff, and our responsibilities as voices in the senior leadership of our campuses. We occupy a unique role at the institution, yet we must also respond to enrollment instability, resource costs and budgets, student success, and facility use and planning. For library leaders, developing a campus-based support network can be difficult. Though we are engaged in finding solutions to the same challenges as our colleagues in other departments, we often encounter them from a different angle.

Within …

"The Library Catalog Is Definitely The Best Place To Find Articles!” Overconfidence Among Undergraduate Library Users, Katelyn Angell

ACRL New England Chapter Annual Conference

Investigators in several academic subjects have conducted research focused on determining if undergraduate students are overconfident regarding their knowledge of disciplinary subject matter. Up until recently, most of these studies have investigated students of psychology or economics. However, a handful of academic librarians have begun to conduct similar studies with undergraduate library users, curious whether this population shows similar overconfidence in their grasp of academic research. Overconfidence is a major problem for students because it interferes with both learning and an authentic self-awareness. The present study surveyed 34 undergraduates to assess if they were overconfident about their knowledge in key …

Bringing Down The Empire: Remaking Our Work, Our Libraries, Our Selves, Suzanne L. Wones

ACRL New England Chapter Annual Conference

As Director of Library Digital Strategies and Innovations, Suzanne leads the development and implementation of digital strategies for the Harvard Library community. Her work includes examining trends in information technology and digital library development and identifying opportunities for innovation within the Library and with external partners.

During her fifteen years as a Harvard librarian, Wones has advocated for user-focused innovations and developing creative solutions to advance the mission of the University.

As Executive Director of the Harvard Law School Library, she led operations and programmatic efforts, as well as strategic planning and budget management. Suzanne also stewarded faculty/library relationships, and …